Electric guest-call



(No Model.)

S. K. GIMBEL. ELECTRIC GUEST CALL. N0. 558,555.v Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

ANDREW GRAHAM. PHUTOUTHQWASNINGION. D G.

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIMON K. GIMBEL, OF VINCENNES, INDIANA.

ELECTRIC GUEST-CALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,555, dated April 21, 1896. Application filed December 12, 1895. Serial No. 571,922. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIMON K. GIMBEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vincennes, in the county of Knox and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Guest-Calls; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of electric guest-calls which are intended for use in hotels and similar places to awaken guests, and comprises a series of electrical circuits, normally broken in two places and representing different hours or fractions of hours, an electric alarm or alarms situated in a guest apartment or apartments, and suitable means in the guest-aparments and the hotel-office for closing the breaks in the circuits and completing the same, wherebya guest on retiring for the night may close one of the breaks in the circuit which represents the hour at which he desires to be called, so that when the other break in such circuit is closed at the hour which it represents the circuit will be completed and the alarm in' the apartment of the guest will be sounded and he will be awakened.

The invention consists in a peculiar and advantageous fire-alarm and in the peculiar construction, novel combination, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out inthe claim appended.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure is a diagrammatic view representing the office and one apartment of a'hotel, together with my improved apparatus.

Referring by letter to said drawing, A indicates the hotel-office, and B indicates a guest apartment or room.

In carrying out my invention I arrange in the apartment or room B a switchboard O, which also serves as an index or indicator, as will be presently described. This switchboard 0 comprises, by preference, a conductive bar a and a series of three (more or less) conductive plates or blocks 1) c d, between which is formed one of the breaks in the circuits, as will be presently understood. The

bar a and the plates or blocks Z), c, and (Z preferably have their contiguous edges notched or recessed, as shown, to seat the break-closing plug h, the function of which will be presently described.

As illustrated, the plates or blocks 1), c, and d are labeled with the number of the hour which they respectively represent, and they are connected by the circuit-wires e f g with one of the conductive plates of push-buttons b, c, and d, situated in the hotel-office, which buttons 1), c, and d are labeled to correspond with the plates 1) 0 cl, with which they are connected, as shown.

The push-buttons b c d are, respectively, provided with two conductive plates between which the second break in the circuits is formed. One of the conductive plates of the buttons 1), c, and d are connected with the plates or blocks b c d, as just described, and the other plates are connected by the wires 2' with a battery j, situated at any suitable point, and this battery 3' is connected by a wire 70 with a gas-pipe Z, which for the sake of cheapness preferably forms part of the circuit.

D indicates an electric alarm, which is situated in the guest-apartment and is preferably arranged upon the switchboard O, as shown. This alarm D is preferably of the ordinary construction and comprises the electromagnets 0%, the combined armature and clapper 'n, and the gong p, as shown. The electromagnets m of the alarm are connected to the conductive bar a by a wire q, and with the pipe l by the wire 1", whereby it will be seen that when any one of the several circuits is closed the magnets will be energized and the armature actuated to ring the gong.

In practice, when a guest desires to be awakened at a certain hour, it is simply necessary for him to place the plug it between the bar a and the conductive plate which represents suchhour. This closes the break in the circuit between the alarm and one of the conductive plates of the push-button, which also represents the hour, so that when said button is pushed inwardly by the clerk or other person when the hour arrives the other break in the circuit will be closed, and the alarm will be sounded and the guest awakened.

I will suppose, for instance, that a guest desires to be awakened at six oclock. He simply places the plug it between the bar a and the plate labeled 6. This closes the break in the circuit from one plate of the push-button 0, labeled 6, to the other, so that when the button is pushed inwardly at six oclock, the other break will be closed, the circuit will be completed, and the current will be from the battery through the wires 1', the contact-plates of the button, the wire f, the plate 0, the bar a, the wire q, the electromagnets, the wire 1', the pipe Z, and the wire 70, back to the battery. This passage of the current energizes the magnets and rings the gong through the medium of the armature, as is obvious.

I have deemed it necessary to show only one switchboard C, in order to impart a full understanding of my invention; but it is obvious that any number of switchboards and alarms may be employed in conjunction with the single set of push-buttons, it being simply necessary to connect the several boards and alarms with the wires 6 f g by switch-wires, as M, and complete the circuits in any approved manner.

hen more than one switchboard and alarm are employed in conjunction with a single set of push-buttons or circuit-closing devices, it will be seen that guests in the several apartments or rooms may close the breaks in different circuits so as to be awakened at different hours and that a guest or guests who close the break in the seven oclock circuit'or any other circuit will not be awakened by the closing of any circuit except the one which they close the break in. Thus all of the guests may be awakened at the hour they desire by the hotel clerk, who presses the 5, 6, and 7 oclock buttons at the hours which they represent.

I have specifically described the construction of the switchboard C, the alarm D and the push-buttons l), c, and d, in order that a person skilled in the art may readily appreciate my improvements; but I do not desire to be confined to such constructions, as any suitable circuit-closing devices and any suitable alarm may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In order to enable a clerk or other attendant in the hotel-oiiice to simultaneously sound the alarms in the several guest-apartments in the event of fire or other danger, I provide the push-button or circuit-closing device P, which is preferably arranged in the hoteloffice, although it maybe placed at any other suitable point, if found desirable. This pushbutton has one of its conductive plates connected by the wire a: and the wires t with one of the poles of the battery j, and it also has its other conductive plate connected by the wires y y with the conductive bars a in the several guest-apartments. In consequence of this it will be observed that when the button P is pushed and the circuit closed the current will be from the battery through the wires 2'00, the contact-plates of the button P, the wires y y, the bars a in the several guestapartments, the wires q, the electromagnets, the wire 7', the pipes l, and the wire 70, back to the battery. This passage of the current energizes the magnets and rings the gongs in all of the guest-apartments simultaneously and apprises the guests of the danger in time to enable them to reach a place of safety, which is a desideratum. In virtue of this construction it will be seen that the alarm will be sounded in all of the apartments whether the guest has placed a circuit-closing plug between the contact-plate a and one of the contact-plates b, c, and cl or not, which is an important advantage.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- I11 an electric guest-call apparatus, the combination of a plurality of switchboards adapted to be placed in guest-apartments and respectively comprising a conductive bar a, and a series of conductive plates separated from said bar, electrical alarms also placed in the guest-apartments, a series of push-buttons adapted to be placed in a hotel-office, electric connections between the conductive plates of the several switchboards and the push-buttons, electrical connections between the bars a, of the several switchboards, and the electrical alarms, a battery, electrical connections between one of the poles of said battery and the push-buttons, conductors connecting the electrical alarms and the other pole of the battery, means for closing the breaks between the conductive bars a, and the plates of the several switchboards, a push-button P, a conductor connecting one of the conductive plates of said button and the battery, and conductors connecting the other conductive plate of the said push-button P, and the bars a, of the several switchboards, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SIMON K. GIMBEL. I'Vitnesses:

G. V. LIST, BALTYER MAeHINo. 

